James “Al” Kennedy, aluminum extrusion industry veteran, principal of Kennedy Eurotech in Newnan, GA, and recipient of the Aluminum Extruders Council’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2000 and the prestigious Distinguished Service Award in 2024, passed away at home surrounded by his family on July 31, 2025. He was 83 years old.
Al was a staunch supporter of the aluminum extrusion industry and the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), sharing his vast knowledge of aluminum extrusion by conducting the AEC Press Maintenance Workshop for decades. He worked as a consultant to many in the aluminum extrusion field, authored technical articles, and represented international high-tech companies in the aluminum community. His technical manual, Extrusion Press Maintenance Manual, the manual that informed the content of the Press Maintenance Workshop, is considered a benchmark textbook on the subject. He continued to consult and to keep his manual updated until only months before his death.
At the awards ceremony in 2024 at the 75th AEC Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference, Chairman Mark Butterfield said of Al receiving the Distinguished Service Award, “Al is the author of more than 95 published papers and magazine articles. In addition, many in the industry (and in this room) have a copy of his Extrusion Press Maintenance Manual. Al has been our go-to guy for the Press Maintenance Workshop for many years. We don’t know exactly how long it is, but it must be at least 30 years! His knowledge and expertise have been invaluable to AEC and its members. He also received two U.S. Patents for scrap reclamation processes. Al has served on the ET Seminar Committee since 1984, providing expertise and paper reviews for decades!”
Mr. Kennedy received his mechanical engineering degree from Duke University where he graduated with honors in 1962. He began his engineering career at Monsanto Chemical Company (1962-1972) in Columbia and continued to work with Monsanto in East Stroudsburg, PA, and St. Louis, MO, and Chemtech Industries (1973-1977) also in St. Louis. In 1977, Al joined the William L. Bonnell Company and settled in Newnan, GA. In 1989, he established his own company, Kennedy Eurotech.
Tributes from his colleagues in the aluminum extrusion industry poured in after the news of his death was shared.
Robert I. Werner, ET Chairman Emeritus, said of Mr. Kennedy, “Al was one of our giants. His desire to share, teach, and make the industry more successful was a blessing to everyone. His knowledge and experience, which he freely shared, were of value to all. I salute him and his memory. He will be missed. My condolences to his family.”
Mark Butterfield, President of MX Holdings Manufacturing based in in St. Louis, MO and Pennex Aluminum, AEC Chairman and ET Seminar Committee Vice Chair, said of Kennedy, “Our Industry continues to lose so many great pioneers that gave us the opportunities we have today. Al was certainly one of them and will be missed.”
Craig Werner, CEO and Co-founder of Intelligent Extrusion LLC in Lake Forest, IL, and past chair of the ET Seminar Committee and AEC Board of Directors, said “The AEC’s Lifetime Achievement Award – the Maurice H. Roberts Award, is given sparingly to those, like Al, who deserve it for the outsized contributions they make to the industry. My condolences to all of Al’s family and to our industry for the passing of a great friend, teacher, and leader and just a great guy.”
Jerome Fourmann, Senior Director of Global Aluminum Technical Marketing for Rio Tinto based in Chicago, IL, and Chair of the ET Seminar Committee, said “Al has made such a profound and lasting contribution to our industry. A tireless advocate and volunteer to the AEC who touched so many of us. My thoughts and prayers are with Al’s family during this challenging time while Al’s legacy will continue to inspire many of us”
AEC President, Jason Weber, said “For Al Kennedy, this quote rings especially true: ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants’ – Sir Isaac Newton.”
Al is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sandra Richardson Kennedy, son Andy (Karen) Kennedy; daughters Alice (Craig) Jackson and Elizabeth Brownlee; grandchildren Christopher (Daysha) Brownlee, Cole Kennedy, Madison Brownlee, Oren Kennedy, Jacob Brownlee; great granddaughter Natalie Rose Brownlee; and sister-in-law, Nancy Wildsmith.
The funeral is Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 2:00 at Newnan Church of Christ, 2675 Highway 34 East, with his beloved son-in-law Craig Jackson officiating. Visitation will be at 1:00 preceding the service. As memorials, donations can be made to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Efforts, P O Box 111180, Nashville, TN 37222-1180 Give ' Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc.
For more information and to express condolences visit https://www.mckoon.com/obituaries/james-al-kennedy/#!/Obituary
